The dark side of ‘hustle culture,’ a taboo skill employers need badly, and more top insights

What’s happening in the world of work: The Saturday edition of the Daily Rundown highlights the business trends, perspectives, and hot topics you need to know to work smarter. Read on and join the conversation.

Calling out the ‘hustle culture’ fad

Workaholism has consumed large swaths of the millennial workforce, BuzzFeed’s Anne Helen Petersen argued earlier this month, fueling a potentially damaging attachment to productivity. ? Here’s what people are saying.

• More companies are promoting “the hustle,” with apostles espousing the virtues of nonstop work and touting slogans like “rise and grind.“ “This is toil glamour, and it is going mainstream,” writes The New York Times’ Erin Griffith.
• We’ve been here before. Leeds University’s David Spencer explained to Griffith that the veneration of work for its own sake stretches back at least to the mercantilism of 16th century Europe.
• A growing cohort of executives are trying to hit the brakes. Basecamp’s Jason Fried and Reddit’s Alexis Ohanian have called for workers to dial down on their hours and reconsider the meaning of success and how it can be achieved sustainably.

At work, ‘thank you’ often beats cash: In a tight labor market, like our current one, it’s tempting to use salary bumps and bonus payments to keep your employees. But recent research from Harvard’s Ashley Whillans suggests that cash, while important, doesn’t always cut it. More than anything, Whillans has found, employees want to feel recognized and valued for their work, and some 80% of U.S. workers claim they don’t receive such praise. Non-cash rewards, like additional time off or flexible work options, can help. And a simple, earnest thank you can go much further than many managers realize. ? Here’s what people are saying.

You Asked: “What can entry level employees add to our routines now to keep us safe and employed well into our 50s?” — Elizabeth Morgan, people operations at Google

• “Young people today anticipate very long working lives. The question concerns how to stay relevant and employable for decades into the future. Arguably, the most important advice is to continually learn and acquire new skills. Don’t count on your employer to train you. Monitor technology and work trends. Stay current. Next, network, network, network. New jobs, especially for women, are often secured because of contacts that you have with friends and coworkers. But networking more isn’t necessarily better; rather, hone your networks to include people you trust and admire, and who respect your capabilities. Finally, longer working lives may — and, I believe, should — include shorter work weeks and periodic time off. But generate a reentry plan before your exit.” — Laura Carstensen, professor of psychology and Director of the Stanford Center on Longevity
• “If you want a guaranteed future, become a data scientist. The world is woefully short of people who know how to analyze large data sets. Having that type of background would secure you a bright future. Of course, many people do not want a math job. So for people in that category, we also are going to need individuals with skills of foreign language, design, and communications. People likely will have more leisure time so there will be job opportunities for those in the art, music, theater, and culture scene. Many want a better work-life balance and people in the entertainment area will have greater opportunities to practice their craft.” — Darrell West, vice president of governance studies and director of the Center for Technology Innovation at the Brookings Institution
• Gary Bolles, chair for the future of work at Singularity University: “You must become a lifelong learner. As adults, we accept the work world that will constantly change. So our knowledge of the world has to continually change as well.” More from Gary:

Looking for career advice from the pros? Submit your questions in the comments with #YouAsked and we’ll take care of the rest.

A stigmatized skill that employers need, badly: The ability to persuade others was ranked as the second most in-demand soft skill by employers, just behind creativity, according to LinkedIn data. And it has taken on even more importance as many companies move away from traditional hierarchical structures. Persuasion has received a bad rap, as it’s often confused for manipulation, writes LinkedIn’s Isabelle Roughol. But the heart of persuasion is empathy; it comes down to finding common ground between people’s values and what you can offer, Arizona State’s Robert Cialdini tells Roughol. ? Here’s what people are saying.

What helps women advance? Strong ties to other women. A recent study by the University of Notre Dame and Northwestern University found that 75% of high-ranking women had maintained strong, female-dominated inner circles, Fast Company reports. Women with such networks were 2.5 times more likely to land higher-ranking roles than those with small, male-dominated networks. Meanwhile, the researchers found that men benefit from having large social networks, no matter the gender breakdown of that group. ? Here’s what people are saying.

One last idea: The combined demands of our professional and personal lives can convince us that being excellent at both is out of reach. But, as Deborah Knobelman writes in Quartz, we benefit from shifting our focus from the things we aren’t accomplishing at any given moment to the good we are doing right now. 

“There is no perfect level of attention either at work or at home. All you can do is your best, at any given moment. Let go of the rest.”

What's your take? Join the conversations on today's stories in the comments.

— Scott Olster and Kelli Nguyen